The suddenly rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers host the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, February 8 in a matchup of likely NBA lottery teams
Portland has lost five in a row and last Thursday traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and Detroit’s second-round pick in 2025.
It appears the tank is on for the Trail Blazers, who could deal CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. With Damian Lillard out for at least another five weeks, Portland’s championship hopes were certainly shot and making a playoff push without him seemed senseless.
So the enigmatic Blazers will stumble through the last couple dozen regular season games and reload for next year. Expect Winslow and Johnson to get heavy playing time, along with Portland’s long list of players on contracts that expire this summer.
Orlando Magic @ Portland Trail Blazers preview, injury report, and betting guide
Injury Report:
Portland Trail Blazers: OUT: Damian Lillard (abdomen), Cody Zeller (knee), Nassir Little (shoulder), Larry Nance, Jr. (knee), Keon Johnson (ankle), Eric Bledsoe (Achilles), CJ McCollum (undisclosed); PROBABLE: Trendon Watford (ankle)
Orlando Magic: OUT: Jonathan Isaac (knee), R.J. Hampton (knee), Michael Carter-Williams (ankle), E’Twaun Moore (knee), Markelle Fultz (knee); PROBABLE: Moe Wagner (knee)
Point spread, moneyline, and over/under as of 8:00 am PT, via WynnBet:
Orlando: -1.0, -115 to win, O/U 110 pts
Portland: +1, -105 to win, O/U 110 pts
The Magic have the NBA’s worst record at 12-43 and have the lead in Tankfest 2022 over Detroit and Houston. But Portland at 21-33 will be racing to the bottom with those three. A week ago a one-point spread in this game would have been reason to bet both farms on the Blazers, but without Lillard, Powell, Covington, or any remaining hope for this season, expect to see Portland placed aside the league’s bottom-dwellers by Vegas analysts.
But an injury-decimated Blazers team is still better than an injury-decimated Magic squad. Winslow and his new teammates played hard in a blowout loss to Milwaukee on Saturday and should be more competitive against Orlando. Take Portland and the single point, and bet them to win at -105.
Scoring is another matter; both teams will be sloppy and thin and 110 points seems like a stretch for both squads. I’d feel just as confident betting either or both team unders along with the game under.
The picks: Portland +1 and -105 to win, both teams under 110 and game under 220